Los Angeles
Youngsters, Joined at Head, Are Touring With Carnival Sideshow Now
Showing at the State Fair.

Joined at head,
Mary Yvette and Gladys Yvonne Jones can expect normal life span
with proper care

Spectators show
varying expressions on seeing Siamese Twins

Yvonne and Yvette
McCarther were born in California at Los Angeles General Hospital
on May 14, 1949. Their mother, Willa McCarther, wanted them
separated and kept them in the hospital for several months while
she met with doctors. When it was determined that the twins shared
too much tissue to be separated safely, Mrs. McCarther took them
home. Immediately she was confronted by people in showbusiness who
wanted to exhibit the infant twins with circus sideshows. She
initially refused, but when she was unable to pay the hospital
bills, Mrs. McCarther and her daughters spent a six-month stint
touring with the Royal American Circus. With the $300 a week the
family earned, Mrs. McCarther was able to pay the hospital bill
and take her babies home for good.

When Yvonne and Yvette were children, their doctors predicted that
they would never be able to walk, since they were joined at the
top of the head, and that they would be mentally retarded because
of the brain tissue they shared. The twins proved their doctors
wrong on both counts. They developed above-average intelligence
and were so active physically that their mother was afraid they
would break their necks. Their movements were well-coordinated and
they walked and even ran in perfect unison. Although Yvonne and
Yvette were raised in their family's San Fernando, California,
home, they preferred the time they spent in Augusta, Georgia as
children. They particularly enjoyed shopping and spent many hours
perusing Augusta's many shopping centers.

The McCarther twins spent many years as successful gospel singers,
touring the nation and singing at churches. They were managed by
singer Linda Hopkins, who booked tours for them, as well as
looking after them at home. Though they were not allowed to attend
classes at high school, they managed to obtain their diploma
through home schooling. For a while they received instruction over
the phone, but when that didn't work, the teachers came to their
house. In 1987, the twins moved out of their mother's home and
into their own apartment. They also enrolled in community college,
with the goal of earning nursing degrees. Sadly, on January 1,
1993, the sisters were found dead in their apartment. A coroner's
examination determined they had died on December 15, 1992. Yvonne
had suffered from an enlarged heart and it was presumed that this
was the cause of their demise. The sisters' degrees were awarded
posthumously at their funeral as a tribute to their extraordinary
dedication.

The McCarther sisters got along very well, better than many
conjoined twins, who often fight. They always wore the same
outfit, shared cigarettes, and ate the same food at the same time.
Interestingly, in interviews, both sisters refer to themselves as
"I" rather than "we", showing the independent personalities these
bright and well-adjusted sisters developed.

The sisters' biological father, John Jones, was out of the picture
by the time they were born, but they are sometimes referred to as
Yvonne and Yvette Jones. Their stepfather, Charles McCarther, died
in 1970.